If you thought boxing fanatics were sitting around twiddling their thumbs in Manchester since the Pacquiao-enforced ring sabbatical of hometown hero Ricky Hatton, then you would be wrong.

One man keeping them busy is European lightweight champion John Murray. And if the old adage of history repeating itself rings true then the 30-0, hard-hitting pressure fighter will be keeping them away from home as well in the coming years.

‘Irish’ Micky Ward is now a household name, a feat the blue-collar hero never achieved during his boxing days. Immortalised in a movie biopic, the unassuming fighter and Pride of Lowell, Massachusetts, is now a big screen draw.

Knockout boxing film The Fighter earns itself a shot at Hollywood glory with six Golden Globe nominations.

The Fighter is up for Best Picture, in the drama category while leading man Mark Wahlberg is nominated for Best Actor in a Drama. Christian Bale gets a shout for Best Supporting Actor, along with female supports Amy Adams and Melissa Leo, who make up two of the five nominees in their category. And Director David O. Russell rounds off the list with his nomination for Best Director.

The Fighter is the must-see film of the year! Out next month, it follows the true-life Rocky story of Micky Ward as he goes from struggling journeyman to fighting for a world title, while at the same time trying to emerge from his brother (who went the distance with Sugar Ray Leonard) Dicky Ecklund’s shadow.